Scoring error that led to bizarre incident Willie Thorne described as “one of snooker’s greatest injustices”

Former ranking event winner Thorne – who passed away in 2020 – revisited the strange scenario whilst presenting the ‘Cue Masters’ series of programmes on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom.

Perhaps slightly tongue in cheek, Thorne said: "What you're about to see could be described as one of snooker's greatest injustices. Take a look and see what you think.”

The incident in question occurred during Thorne’s last 32 match against fellow Englishman Nick Fruin in the Middle East – the only time the two ever faced each other on the professional snooker circuit.

As the world number seven at the time, Thorne automatically went through to the main venue stages at the Al Nasr Stadium in the United Arab Emirates. Fruin, on the other hand, had to win six qualifying matches to reach the 32-player main draw - the deepest he’d ever been in a world ranking event.

The best-of-nine frames contest – which was on a televised table covered by Sky Sports – was going according to experience as Thorne relinquished just 26 points in establishing a 2-0 lead.

However, Fruin played his part in frame three and got a foothold as he seemed to be leading by 41 points with just three reds remaining.

The qualifier potted another red but failed to land ideally on a colour, so elected to try and put the brown ball safe as a bit of insurance. According to the scoreboard shown by Sky Sports, Fruin was now 42 points up with 43 points available.

Thorne knew he could still win the frame, but the TV scoreboard that the viewers and Sky commentators Phil Yates and Jim Wych could see and were working off suggested that he needed blacks off the last two reds and all the colours to win by a single point.

The former UK Championship runner-up doubled the penultimate red, then potted black and the last red. However, Thorne then potted a pink (although he may have planned position on the black but overran it) which meant he could only tie the frame – according to the TV coverage.

After Thorne potted the yellow, commentator Yates brought up the possibility that the scoreboard in the actual arena – the one Thorne would have been looking at – was incorrect.

It transpired that earlier in the frame Fruin made a break of 38, but referee Ganley called 37 and this incorrect total was added to the scores in the arena. Therefore, Fruin had one fewer point than he should have done, and Thorne started his visit believing he was 41 points down, therefore a black and a pink with the final two reds (and all the remaining colours) would be enough to win the frame.

Thorne went on to duly clear the colours for a 42 clearance, and walked back to his chair believing he won the frame by a single point and that he was now 3-0 up.

However, as explained by Thorne during an episode of Cue Masters, the Sky Sports commentators subsequently made tournament officials aware of the scoring error.

Following 10 minutes of deliberation, it was decided that the point Fruin did not receive earlier in the frame should be honoured, and therefore the scores ended level, meaning a re-spotted black would be required to determine the winner of the frame. Thorne was clearly dismayed by this outcome, saying: “I wasn’t happy to say the least.”

To compound Thorne’s misery, Fruin fluked the re-spotted black and won the frame!

There would be a happy ending for the great WT, though, as he ran out a 5-2 winner.

In the last 16, Thorne’s title bid was ended by a 17-year-old Ronnie O’Sullivan who made a break of 134 in a 5-1 victory.

O’Sullivan then compiled an effort of 140 during a 5-2 quarter-final win over Peter Ebdon to reach his first world ranking event semi-final.

World Champion and world number one Stephen Hendry stopped O’Sullivan 6-2 in the last four, but just a few weeks later ‘The Rocket’ created history when he memorably defeated Hendry in the final of the 1993 UK Championship at the Guild Hall in Preston.